Gossip Detective, Deadline Survivor and Professional “That Ain’t Right” Investigator
Introducing DeAnna! Journalist! Hobby hopper! A woman who spends her days talking, learning and, when asked to describe her typical workday, offers one word: “Panic.”
For Newspaper Week, we gave DeAnna the 20-questions treatment. She reports that she has spent 84 years in newspaper deadlines, approximately five and a half years by the ordinary calendar.
Her suggested job titles include accountability manager, gossip detective, fact checker and professional “that ain’t right” investigator. Take your pick. They all come with deadlines.
And she has opinions about those. “It’s a combination of two of the most boring things I can imagine, being dead and being a line,” she explains. Being fantastic under pressure does not mean she wants to experience it every week.
Nevertheless, her work has earned first-, second- and third-place honors in the Oklahoma Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest for in-depth reporting, news, education, feature and business stories. She has also received multiple monthly awards for columns, editorials, photos and, recently, public notice articles.
She doesn’t officially belong to a civic or professional organization, preferring to spotlight the groups doing good work. Her favorite part of reporting is learning about people’s accomplishments and struggles, then sharing stories that help readers recognize something of themselves.
In a divided world, she likes building those connections.
Her route to the newsroom began with a dream and took a scenic detour through paying bills. She always enjoyed writing and, once she learned people could get paid to write for newspapers, considered it her dream job.
But her first work was babysitting at 12, followed by her first taxable job at a convenience store. There, she met the people who would eventually buy newspapers and hire her. Years after she left the store, and after casually mentioning that she liked writing, they found her on social media and asked whether she wanted to become a reporter.
Apparently, that conversation had a very long shelf life.
The job’s biggest surprise is other people’s surprise that printed newspapers still exist and employ actual humans. The skills she’s still working to master? Time management, punctuation and math.
DeAnna grew up in Agra, where a graduating class of 25 qualifies as big. Everyone knew everyone, family reputation followed you around and walking across town to see friends was routine. Outdoor basketball courts and church offered much of the entertainment.
For everything else, there were front porches. Tornado sirens, car alarms, yelling or police warnings could bring out the neighbors, popcorn figuratively at the ready.
Today, her main crew includes her life partner, a son, a daughter and two dogs. The extended cast features three older siblings, a younger stepsister, her parents, plenty of cousins, aunts and uncles, and one remaining grandparent she hopes will outlive her. Close friends are few and often geographically far between, with most living an hour or more away.
Her perfect day off is family time: perhaps a playground, but more likely board games and movies at home. Home is exactly where she feels at home. Her favorite people and things are already there.
If she could experience one story anew, she’d choose Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl,” preferably the book. That twist hits differently when you don’t know what’s coming.
She’d also like to try performing onstage, although stage fright has filed an objection.
Her dream car? She doesn’t have one. But given a Nissan Skyline GT-R, she would hand the keys to her partner.
Childhood arrives through familiar smells: sand and river water, jasmine and roses, barbecue and fireworks. At 8, she wanted to be happy. At 9, she wanted to be a writer.
She believes that younger self would be proud. After experiences she wouldn’t wish on anyone, she has found joy, peace and happiness.
Among her favorite assignments was a feature about “Junior” Herring, a local World War II veteran remembered for handing out candy while working at a filling station. She got to hear about his military service and community life. After publication, his daughter delivered a box of chocolates as thanks.
A sweet ending, quite literally. Off the clock, DeAnna moves among reading, painting, embroidery, bird-watching and whichever hobby captures her attention that week. Making time for it helps keep her sanity intact.
Her choice for a chore that should disappear by magic is decisive: dishes. Washed, dried and put away. The whole production.
There you have her: DeAnna! An open book who welcomes almost any question. Just give her time to answer before the next deadline.